Scene #7919: Etched Might of the Great Wolf

Owner	Pose
Sleek Shimmer	Somewhere far from the beaten path from any town or city, and a good distance from any warp gate, Sleek Shimmer supposedly lurks. The coordinates that Staren has gotten from her 'beacon' are at the near-center of a simply massive forest. Thankfully, for one with Staren's resources, reaching the specific place therein isn't hard. It's quite something though. Shimmer has found the tallest tree in the forest: A 250 meter tall Ginkgo Biloba, considerably taller than most specimens should be. The air here is pristine and warm, and there's no sign of troublesome wildlife. Just some birds chipring away in the canopy. The whole region is awash with life, and Staren might get the tingles upon approaching the great tree... the geomancy here is quite something. The atmosphere is tranquil, almost ... reverent. Like ten years could pass by here in the blink of an eye and nothing would meaningfully change. Sleek Shimmer is seated cross-legged right up against the tree, FOUR fluffy tails spread out in a fan pattern. Her human form is otherwise unchanged from Staren's memories. Her hands are resting against her knees and she is simply breathing. Slowly, steadily. The surrounding energies are a part of this dance, though. Faint, dark green energies illuminate the clearing, growing brightest around Shimmer and the bark of the tree she's leaning against. It's concentrated enough to see with the naked eye, and seems to be being slowly absorbed into her aura...
Staren	Called as a healer, Staren arrives by magic broom, of all things. Today's ensemble is a white beret with silvery trim, black round-framed glasses, a concord-orange kerchief around her neck (and matching a sash under the coat), with her labcoat -- a regular labcoat, not the fancy one -- over a longsleeve white blouse and a long black skirt, with brown work boots. Surveying the scene, she pulls out what looks like another com-unit, 'aims' it in verious directions, and then finally flies over to Sleek Shimmer, dismounting and tucking the broom away in her bag. "So that's what you're doing. Is it a healing spell, or do you just naturally absorb PPE to heal your injuries? Ah, sorry, my bedside manner's terrible. How'd you get hurt, anyway?"
Sleek Shimmer	"Spell? Would not call it a spell... it's very slow, but, using the forest's power, focused by tree, to slowly heal. Injuries aren't flesh, though..." As may be obvious, she doesn't seem to have... any physical injuries whatsoever. And yet there's a feeling of timidity about her. She has much less confidence in her abilities right now... "Answered the great wolf's challenge and went all-out!" She answers honestly. "... Um, would be easier to show you what's hurt if you sit near..."
Staren	Staren hesitates at the invitation. Past experience suggests that female patients may feel a bit weird about-- oh, right. She steps closer and crouches, looking over Shimmer. "You went up against Hiromi... I take it she won?"
Sleek Shimmer	"Yes." Shimmer admits, lowering her head in defeat - though, perhaps, not shame. Would there be any shame in losing against an outright superior opponent? "Stand to gain much from the fight, once everything heals... ah. Relax and don't fight..." Shimmer looks straight at Staren, eyes going wide and aura fluctuating a bit more intensely and-- and-- And Staren will feel something weird. A little bit of dizzines as her perspective starts moving on its own. For a brief moment it's like she's being rocket propelled at Shimmer and everything goes dark. There's a sensation of rushing through dark tunnels with rays of faint light in them. These rays become brighter and more common up until-- Staren... finds herself emerging into the skies above a strange landscape. It could be described as a world within a sphere, with a great ocean of shimmering, liquid that seems clear as crystal yet has a white, pearly radiance with tinges of other colors visible through grand shows of refraction. It's impossible to chart this sea's depths and all of the waves flow inwards towards the shores of a forested island with some plains. At the very center of the island there's a work of ancient, exotic architecture - a small town? A collection of houses? Some kind of civilization, encased within a square-shaped set of walls pointing towards the four cardinal directions. The whole area's brightly lit by the sea and a sourceless radiance from the sky. It has wind and a pleasant breeze like the forest... But all of it feels strange. Ethereal. Does it, or does it not, actually exist? Also, things are a bit amiss. The pearlescent distant walls have cracks in them, like eggshells, and the colorless radiant liquid is leaking out of them into parts unknown. What's perhaps strangest of all is that there's activity near those cracks. There are MULTIPLE INSTANCES of Sleek Shimmer in this strange space, each directing attention to one of the many cracks. Palms outward, strange energy radiating from them and slowly, ever-so-slowly mending the cracks... In fact, there's also another Shimmer right behind Staren. Just sort of floating there like a ghost. "There was too much backlash, overdid it. Now my inner sea's cracked, meridians damaged. May take weeks or more to mend it all. Will greatly impact my abilities for a while." Staren may find that she is here in astral form only, in a form made from self-image, and that none of her equipment or technological gadgets can make a lot of sense of this place if their spiritual representations even function at all. Also, that she's flying, and can move about in the air at will.
Staren	"Hm? Don't fight wh--?" And then when she's recombobulated, she's in Sleek Shimmer's inner world. "What did you do?!" She's not upset, just curious. And she is, indeed, checking pieces of technology and her radio to work out the rules. It does seem rather like a dream, right? Except she's not hallucinating. "So what is this place? How does it all work?" She flies around to see, and gently pokes one of the other Shimmers on the shoulder to see if she can interact here.
Sleek Shimmer	"Working here, don't bother!" Shimmer #2 barks over at Staren, mildly agitated at the disruption. She then gets right back at her task. Meanwhile, the Shimmer that Staren was just speaking with catches up and laughs a bit. "This is my inner sea! Center of power. My soul. All lessons learned... here. Brought your spirit in here to talk with mine. Your spirit control's very weak so it's easy even for me."
Staren	Staren blinks at the Shimmer #2 reacting independently, and looks back to Shimmer #1. "'Spirit control'? Huh, so this is a... common thing, where you come from?" She looks at the damaged structures. "I confess, I'm not sure how to treat this with drugs or surgery or even magic."
Sleek Shimmer	Shimmer nods. "Very common. Not everytone knows it. But anyone who fights, makes things, hunts... creates things for people who use it... common like cars and guns in many worlds I'm seeing out here." And of course, the projection of Shimmer's will, floating there, folds her legs cross-legged in the sky at Staren's confession. "Had feeling about it. Don't feel bad. Will recover." She then tilts her head and asks, "Been meaning to ask... why so kind? Give away things for nothing. Trust so easily?"
Staren	Staren looks back at Sleek Shimmer. "A curious question. I could ask the opposite: Why is it that for so many, the default assumption is NOT helping people?" "...To be fair... It costs me extremely little. The Concord's wealth is incredible, and even before... well, a more charitable way to put it might be, that I have invested effort in making it easy for me to choose to help others, by focusing on gathering such resources in the first place." She smiles. Then looks more sadly. "What if it were me? What if I were powerless, and hurting, and had done nothing to 'deserve' help in the eyes of those for whom everything is a transaction? Would I prefer the world in which no one helps? Or the world in which someone does?" Staren looks away, towards the ground. "...That you have the expectation you do, and are surprised by this, shows how badly it is needed." She takes a breath. "It may seem to you that I have incredible wealth... and in some ways I do. But in other ways, I am the needy one. I need so much, that I do not see how I could ever earn or repay it. I fear that even those who take pity on me, who... who would choose to help me, even for nothing in return, will find their patience tried, and give no more. That I may be so broken that no... amount of kindness can ever fix me." Staren takes another breath, trying to hold back her eyes from watering and her voice from wavering. "I can never repay them. But I will help those I can." She takes another breath and looks back to Shimmer. "Would you really not do the same, in my situation?"
Sleek Shimmer	That is a very complicated answer. Shimmer's eyes go rather wide at first. She is listening carefully to every word. And a reason like that deserves every bit of brainpower she can turn towards it. "This fox was born with nothing but her body. No human family with wealth. Not even taught how to hunt and live as a fox. From the start, was expected that I do things for others to eat. To live. Grew to like some parts of the work, but hate, HATE always needing, wanting, never having. When fortune gives you a bit more..." She leans in towards Staren, a dire look in her eyes, "Must hide it FIERCELY. Or others who want it, will just take it. Circle like wolves then pounce. Doesn't matter if earned or not." She relaxes again. "Rarely anything free. Rare to take big risks for other people. More you show of yourself, more you gain, more others see things they want. ... is how I thought things worked..." She tilts her head the other way now. "But, look at you, and see none of that happening. Why? Is it because none dare oppose you or Concord?"
Staren	Staren looks at Shimmer sadly as the fox describes her life. And then gives a quick laugh at her guess that none would oppose her. She takes a breath, and floats forward to give Shimmer a hug. "I'm sorry you had it so hard. It's so unfair. No one should." She hugs tightly, then floats back. "For as long as I can remember, the adults around me praised tolerance and helping people. I was told stories of heroes who helped those who could not help themselves, and villains who hated people just for being born the wrong species. I wanted to help, too." She paces back and forth a bit. "I can't lie. Well... I have difficulty lying. It makes me extraordinarily uncomfortable. An existence relying on deception was never a longterm option for me. And yet, I was the weird one." "I've always liked solving problems. It's practically a compulsion -- if I see a problem, or hear a problem, my brain will consider how it might be solved, with means at my disposal, or that could be at my disposal. And if I do think of a solution, why not do it? Why leave the world in a worse state than it could be in?" "Of course, that really only applies to solutions that can be implemented quickly, without the help of others. But when something in the world is broken... or unfair... I want to fix it." She makes vague gestures as if grasping at something in front of her. "I think that's related to my desire to be a hero." Staren sighs. "There is indeed opposition at every turn. From the greedy, or those who defend systems that support the greedy by taking from others. And I am... broken. Despite knowing what is right, and feeling like I have to do it even if I must go against the entire world... People saying that I'm malicious, malevolent, that I want to hurt people, is like a silver bullet. I can't stand it, even more than I can't stand lying. It just grabs my brain and wrenches it," she mimes grabbing something in front of her and does a quarter-turn, yanking it forcefully aside, "and everything, all the principles, all the reasoning, it all melts under... under..." She shakes her head. "I don't know. Fear? If enough people hate me, I'll be hurt. I'll be tossed out. I won't be able to help people anymore. It's already hard, when people distrust me... for all your concern, that you gave me a chance, you're more trusting than many others." She takes a breath and tries to calm down, looking away again. "It is difficult for me to believe... as difficult as it is for you to believe someone could be as nice as I am, it's difficult for me to believe the Concord really believes in me, and won't... toss me out, if I don't... earn my way, or if I become a liability for them." Blink. "...I guess I got a bit off-topic there." She 'sits' in the air, crossing her legs. "What was the question again? 'Why.' I can talk about ideals, and nobility of spirit. I can talk about how I gave up my teenage years and I regret it so much now. But at the end of the day, I don't know if I really could have done anything else. I'm just... like this. It's easier, for me, to go along with it. I don't want to hurt people, and it hurts me to see them hurt." "Ha, in a way I guess you could say then that it's just that I'm lazy! It's too much work to fight my compulsions and hurt people!" She grins, though there's still a hint of sadness on her face.
Sleek Shimmer	Once again, that barrage of words requires a lot of time for Shimmer to think over her answer and everything being said. But, first, she's rather startled at the sudden hug. "Huah?!" Well, she doesn't struggle out of it, but it's quite clear that she's not AT ALL used to such things in her human form. She freezes up awkwardly, unsure how to respond... but eventually returns a little smile of 'its alright.' "So... summary. Staren thinks being adult means being a hero, standing against every little wrong and misfortune, everywhre. Even for people you don't know. Feel you must, or let down stories and wishes of ancestors. Find problems EVERYWHERE, because looking everywhere and thinking more than others. You know you are different. Afraid people secretly laughing behind your back, don't take you seriously..." She gazes at her long and hard before asking, "Which is it you really want? Others accepting your ideas and you, or making them happen? Don't know how, if, world can change like that, but many will stand against you to the death against it, will say every hurtful thing and turn the many against you. Will hurt LOTS."
Staren	Staren listens as Shimmer processes, and says it in her own words. Then looks away, ears splayed, as she's reminded there is guarunteed suffering ahead. "I... I want to help people, but... I'm broken, and hurt so easily..." She blinks. "Huh. When it's laid out like that... I guess I need to fix myself. I mean... maybe in some ways I can't be. But it feels... off. That I can be hurt so deeply, so easily. Maybe it's something wrong that can be fixed. I'll... look into it." She smiles and holds out a hand to shake. "Thanks!"
Sleek Shimmer	"Maybe isn't a bad thing." Shimmer murmurs, her own ears flattening a little and tails drooping. "If never hurt, never question yourself, turn into crazy person who can only be stopped by violence. But, should have thick skin. Be confident! Bold." She does, however, seem to understand handshakes and reaches out to grasp Staren's. Though she doesn't let go ust yet... "W-welcome...? Not my intention to hurt your heart." She makes a few spluttery noises in trying to answer a question then. "This fox doesn't mind doing good deeds here and there. But, don't wish to owe anyone anything. Want to go to bed with clean conscience, live without regrets. Not... big plan to change world..."
Staren	"Huh?" Staren doesn't seem to think she asked a question. "That's fine. Me too, really. Solving the problems I can understand, and trusting others to do their part, will have to be enough for me. I've never actually been good at planning to change the world, and trying just..." She shakes her head. "It's not me."